Every time I feel weighed down by the everyday grind, I go out for a run and return home refreshed. The feeling of returning home is not just literal. I can classify this feeling into the following.

Physical – My body welcomes the sweat. My heart beats faster. My Lungs are forced into action. My arteries carry the fresh supply of oxygen to every last living cell in my body. My brain welcomes the increased cerebral blood flow and responds with improved focus. And focus is what we need. Unwavering focus.

Psychological – As the brain starts to focus on the present, everything else blurs. The mundane makes way for the pertinent. The shallow thoughts connect with one another and delve deeper. The depth needs more focus.And as my brains starts to sweat, I’m happy. I have read that Emotions follow Thoughts and now I have experienced it. During a 5k run or any exercise that lasts more than 30 minutes, I feel Happy. I think this is due to the increased focus on what new age shamans call “Being in the Here & Now”.

Spiritual – I can’t prove this, but being happy and present in the moment makes me want to be a better person. To reach out to my highest self and remain there. My spirit slow dances to the uninterrupted tune of contentment. Pure bliss. And in this calm steady state, everything connects. The I connects with the Us and the We. We are one. is no longer some high minded ideal. It becomes the truth. I in everything and everything is I.

We need exercise. We need to calm down. We need to connect with the spirit that resides in all of us – living and nonliving.